The US is currently enjoying a widespread deregulation of sports betting. This has meant that sports fans in more and more states are finally starting to be able to legally bet on their favorite sports. You can already bet online at bookmakers, but soon gambling on sports will become more prevalent!
Previous to this, betting on sport in the US was widely outlawed. However, ever since New Jersey successfully convinced the Supreme Court to overturn the ban on sports betting, more and more states are starting to legalize bets on sport, if you prefer to play in legal sites we recommend you to play in there you will find the best games and all of them are safe to play.
However, there is still plenty of ways to go before the whole of the US is able to enjoy legal sports betting. Not only are there discrepancies in whether different states are allowed to bet on sports, but the actual sports that you are allowed to bet on varies from state to state too. So what has to happen before everyone in the US can legally bet on sports?
Different rules for different sports
One thing that is noticeable about sports betting in the US is the fact that each state seems to take a different approach to how it is regulated. For example, in some states it’s perfectly legal to bet on college sports, while such an activity is illegal in other states. Such a picture will be familiar to anyone who’s tried online gambling in Australia where it’s actually illegal to bet live on sporting events in that country.
Interestingly, horse racing betting is legal in many parts of the US like Florida. This is in the form of pari-mutuel betting, and it should be noted that daily fantasy sports has also somehow managed to become accepted in states that are fiercely opposed to sports betting such as Texas.
Public pressure
Many individual US states will require a public ballot in order to give the go ahead to legal sports betting. This can be seen in the recent case where people in Maryland voted to legalize sports betting in large numbers. Such a move reveals the fact that there is a democratic case to furthering sports betting across the US.
Interestingly, there are plenty more ballots being organized in the nation that would give the public a chance to approve any bill legalizing sports betting. Even in states like Florida that have proven to be extremely resistant to legal sports betting, they could get the chance to vote on the issue as early as next year.
Obviously, there are some states like Utah, Hawaii and Alaska that seem resolutely opposed to the idea of legalized sports betting. But such states are the exception to the rule and the prevailing trend is one that deregulates sports betting in the US.
Reasons for legalizing sports betting in the US
While there is no shortage of moral opposition to the spread of legal betting in the US, there is little doubting the fact that most people are fairly positive about the activity. A Seton Hall Sports Poll carried out in 2019 revealed that around 80% of the US public would vote to approve legal sports betting.
Ultimately the decision to legalize sports betting in more states will probably come down to money. With many state coffers looking bare as a result of the Covid pandemic, there could be an increased willingness to harness the immense revenues that could be gained from legal sports betting.
Many US states from New Jersey and Pennsylvania to Colorado and Indiana have already shown that legal sports betting can be successfully introduced. All of which should give further stimulus to help everyone in the US enjoy safe and regulated sports betting.
